THE red rose on the shirt of Manu Tuilagi was covered in blood. The red stuff was running down the side of his face from under a bandage he wore for most of this powerhouse Six Nations showdown.

Manu Tuilagi touches down after carrying a ball that broke free at his feet

He didn’t care. The tough guy brought in to face down France had done his job brilliantly; scoring the match-clinching try and helping England to win the crucial midfield battle of mighty tackles and hits.

The blood was his badge of pride as England marched on towards a possible Grand Slam and he wore a wide smile of joy as the referee blew the final whistle on another momentous step forward for the young team being fashioned by head coach Stuart Lancaster.

This was hard. This was brutal. This was the test of fire that England had to pass against a French team that played far beyond their efforts in two previous defeats.

Tuilagi was far from the only hero on a raw, frozen early evening at Twickenham. Skipper Chris Robshaw led by magnificent example once again, and at the end the intelligent experience of substitute fly-half Toby Flood steered England home without alarm.

For France, defeat means it is their worst run in the Six Nations for more than 30 years. Meanwhile, if England can win at home against Italy in their next match, they will travel to Cardiff on the final weekend with the chance to win the Grand Slam against Wales.

It is an enticing prospect – and one that, on this evidence, they have a real chance of achieving.

Yesterday, Lancaster made three changes to the team that beat Ireland in their previous match, all designed to add beef and experience against a heavyweight French side.

The two mountains, Manu Tuilagi and Mathieu Bastareaud tussle with one another

For France, defeat means it is their worst run in the Six Nations for more than 30 years.

It appeared a wise choice in a first half where the battle for midfield domination was bruising. The collisions between centres Tuilagi and man-mountain Frenchman Mathieu Bastareaud symbolised the nature of the contest, and honours were just about even.

France led 10-9 at half-time having taken their one chance of a try, whereas England’s opportunity was squandered when Owen Farrell’s chip into the corner for Chris Ashton was just too strong.

Ashton was at fault for the French score when he missed a tackle every England fan felt he should have made against flying centre Wesley Fofana on the halfway line.

That was true, but you also had to admire the silken running of Fofana, who was a threat whenever the French could give him the ball, and who had also eluded a tackle by Courtney Lawes. It was a stunning try.

Morgan Parra converted the 30th-minute score and also kicked a penalty before the break. Farrell sent over three penalties for England, the first within a minute of the start. Overall, though, Farrell’s work on the ball was a touch scrappy – at times he seemed to be trying too hard to find the superstar pass.

Farrell did send England back into the lead in the 48th minute with his fourth penalty kick, enabling them to capitalise on two penalty failures either side of half-time by Parra.

The match was finely balanced, victory and defeat looking at this stage likely to be the result of a happy or cruel bounce of the ball, whichever way you happened to look at it.

In the 54th minute the kindness fell towards England. Alex Goode sent a high kick forward and at the subsequent French ruck the ball squirmed loose exactly to where Tuilagi was stationed.

Chris Robshaw will be looking to take England to Six Nation glory

He had a clear run to the French line for a try, and cared not a jot that the referee might have brought it back for a scrum to France if he had spotted what TV replays showed could have been judged an accidental offside.

Farrell missed the conversion, and a subsequent long-range penalty attempt, feeling the effects of an injury which forced him to leave the field and be replaced by Flood.

Substitute Frederic Michalak kicked a penalty for France, but it was England who now had greater control of their play. It won them two penalties in kicking range in the final 10 minutes and Flood sent each one soaring through the posts to put England 23-13 ahead – and certain of a hard-fought and merited triumph.

Flood had proved a more than able deputy for Farrell, who had been so lionised for his performances in England’s previous three games.

It illustrated the depth in the squad that is being cultivated by Lancaster, and the huge smile with which the head coach greeted the replacement fly-half at the final whistle was a small but telling moment about the new England rugby team.

All the theories that France would fade towards the end of the game had been proved correct, and there was such a contrast with the ceaseless endeavour and energy of England’s man of the match captain Robshaw.

He is an inspirational yet down-to-earth leader – and he is heading towards a possible Grand Slam.